The AFC South was a division ruled by the Indianapolis Colts in 2013, as no team other than the division winners finished over .500. The Tennessee Titans (7-9), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12) and Houston Texans (2-14) all had disappointing seasons, giving the Colts a pretty easy road to the postseason.
However, this year proves to be different. The bottom dwellers of the AFC South seemed to have improved, so the talent gap may close this year. Will it be the Colts season yet again or will a new contender arise?
These are the questions on fans minds as we head into preseason Week 1. The AFC South will be tougher, but what should we look for in each team?
Indianapolis Colts
Despite having one of the most electric quarterbacks in the game in Andrew Luck, the Colts ranked just 17th in the league in pass offense. Luck needed more targets and the Colts went out and got Hakeem Nicks and drafted Donte Moncrief to help bolster the passing game.
However, Luck will also welcome a strong running game; something he didn’t have last year with Trent Richardson. The former Cleveland Browns back will look to rebound after a disappointing 2013 season, and if he does, it could make the Colts offense very dangerous.
The Colts will travel to the Meadowlands to face the New York Jets in Week 1, which will prove to be a test for Richardson and company. The Jets defense ranked third in the league last year and will attack a suspect offensive line. However, Luck should have his way with the Jets secondary, which allowed almost 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns last season.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans come into 2014 with many questions, especially on offense. Because of that, the tea brought in offensive mind Ken Whisenhunt to be the next head coach. He’ll have a heavy task at hand with this Titans team.
This offseason, the Titans lost Chris Johnson, who ran for almost 8,000 yards in six season with the team. Trying to replace him, the Titans drafted Bishop Sankey this year. Sankey and Shonn Greene will get the carries and try to match the production that Johnson gave them.
Facing an improved Green Bay Packers defensive line, the running backs will have their hands full all game. However, another question lies at the quarterback position, where Jake Locker hasn’t proven himself as a go-to player. The Titans will certainly be looking at how Locker fares against a weak Packers pass defense that ranked 24th in the league last year.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars completely revamped their offense this offseason, after losing Maurice Jones-Drew and drafting Blake Bortles. There will definitely be a learning curve for many on this new Jaguars offense, so these preseasons games will be very important for Head Coach Gus Bradley and his team.
Adding to the new quarterback is a plethora of new targets, like Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson. Toby Gerhart will also try to fill the void left by Jones-Drew in his first starting opportunity.
A matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 of the preseason will test Bortles and the new-look pass offense. With Alterraun Verner and Dashon Goldson in the secondary, Bortles will need to protect the ball.
Houston Texans
The Texans might be one of the teams to watch for this season. They finished an awful 2-14 last season, but the talent on this team is much better than that. With Matt Schaub gone and Case Keenum presumably in the starting position, the Texans will look to start fresh from last year’s failure.
The defense will be even stronger than last seasons, with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on the line and a strong secondary behind it. This team doesn’t have many holes, but the biggest question comes from Keenum.
The Texans’ offense will get a test from the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason matchup. The Cardinals finished sixth in total defense and have one of the best defensive backs in the league in Patrick Peterson. Keenum could establish himself as a reliable quarterback with a good performance in this game.